Vail students put pride in their pins

Red Sandstone elementary school did some amazing things with bowling pins donated by Josh Carbo, manager of Bol. The pins will be auctioned Friday as part of Red Sandstone's Pin It to Win It benefit. The goal is to raise $37,000 so they can hire a school librarian. The position was cut during the last round of school district budget cuts.

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VAIL, Colorado - Red Sandstone students are pinning their hopes on bowling pins.

Red Sandstone is raising $37,000 to pay a librarian, a position cut during the school district's last round of layoffs.

Red Sandstone students decorated bowling pins and they'll be auctioned off, along with about anything else they can think of to raise some money.

They've been thinking pretty hard, because they're already about halfway to their $37,000 goal, said Jenn Bruno, who's helping put the event together.

Local artists, cultural icons and friends of education have also been busy decorating special pins to be auctioned.

"We feel that it's essential that the school has a librarian as soon as possible, and we want to be in charge of our own destiny," Bruno said. "It opens up the entire world of books to these children."

The Pin It to Win It project started with Josh Carbo, who didn't have a kid at Red Sandstone, Bruno said.

"He just wanted to make a difference," Bruno said.

Carbo is manager of bowling operations at Bol. Over the last three years, Bol has piled up more than 200 cracked and used bowling pins that can no longer be played.

Carbo gave all 200 pins to Red Sandstone Elementary, and "Pin It, To Win It" was rolling.

"We wanted to make a difference locally," Carbo said. "The kids at Red Sandstone Elementary are the local kids from Vail, Red Cliff and Minturn. We see them at Bol. We wanted to make a difference for them, and make their school a little better."

Each student and family at Red Sandstone Elementary received a pin to decorate. Student's creations will be voted on in a school contest to determine the most creative, funniest and best pin in each grade level.

The students will vote on the Tiger's Choice Pin (best overall pin) and there will be a Teacher's Pick.